Moments of Definition
by jane3876
Summary: There are times in a man's life that would define him. They could be small moments or big, dramatic moments. But those moments would be carried around inside him until the day he died; those moments would be what helped shape him. That had been the moment he had realized that this small slip of a woman, with her dusty books and her bright blue hair had changed him beyond return.


_Moments of Definition_

There are times in a man's life that would define him. They could be small moments or big, dramatic moments. But those moments would be carried around inside him until the day he died; those moments would be what helped shape him.

Gajeel had had only a few of those moments in his life. The first moment was the moment that he woke up to realize that the dragon that had raised him for as long as he could remember, the only person he had trusted more than himself, had left without him. And upon the realization that his mentor was gone, came the knowledge that he was never coming back.

Another moment had been when he had joined his first guild. That moment had not been his proudest. He had been alone and young when the Phantom Lord had found him. It had been only months after Metalicana had left and Gajeel had been getting by on stolen food and cold nights in the wilderness. The Phantom Lord had promised him something he couldn't get on his own. A place to stay, a roof over his head and food he didn't have to steal. What choice had he really ever had? Only later would he realize that he _had_ had a choice.

The next big moment was the moment he fought the Fire Dragon Slayer. Up to that point, he had been cocky and self-assured. The strongest in his guild, second only to his master, Gajeel had let the power get to his head. He had ignored what his mentor had taught him about self-control, about how to use his abilities for what was right. He had ignored his own nature, had shunned his mentor's memory and shamed him. But as he lay, defeated in remnants of his pride and his life in shambles around him, he realized he wasn't upset about being beaten. In fact, he was glad for it. He had needed the awakening and no one besides Natsu would have had the conviction, the drive to do it. He would be forever grateful for the stupid fire-breathing slayer, though he would be damned before he let anyone know it.

The final moment, the moment that he found to be the biggest, was the one he had least expected, the one he had least deserved. He knew as long as he lived, he would never forget a single minute of it. She had stood in front of him, the light had set her brightly colored hair to flame and set her large eyes glittering. He could remember the way her face had been tilted to look up at him, the way her lips had pressed into a thin line while those fiercely intelligent eyes had assessed him. He could remember how the two idiots that followed her around had babbled in the back ground, telling her to forget it, that he wasn't worth it. But more than anything, he could remember the minute she had made her decision and the change that had over come her face. Her lips had turned up in the corners the slightest bit and her eyes had gleamed up at him with some hidden knowledge that only she was privy to. He could still hear the soft tones of her lilting voice as she had uttered the words that would be forever etched into his memory.

"_It's not about whether or not I can forgive you, Gajeel. It's about whether or not you can forgive __**yourself**__."_

That had been the moment he had realized that this small slip of a woman, with her dusty books and her bright blue hair had changed him beyond return.

It had been that moment that he, Gajeel Redfox, had fallen in love with Levy Mcgarden.

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_(AN: I just finished reading a GajeelxLevy fic and I realized that next to Nalu, this was my favorite pairing. I just love how they act and look together. But more than anything, I feel like there is far more to Gajeel than there appears to be. So I decided to write this and test my hand at it and trying to keep Gajeel as in character as I could. What do you think? Is it any good?)_

Jane


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